1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to interface devices for electronic devices and, more particularly, to a lottery system/electronic gaming device interface and gambling game which is operative to signal the lottery system to issue an entry into the lottery when a preset event or series of events occurs in or around the gaming device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Spinning reel slot machines, video slot machines and video poker machines continue to be three of the most widely used types of electronic gaming devices found in the gaming industry. While the types and designs of the slot machines and video poker machines have continued to evolve, game play has remained generally the same in that when a specific combination is hit on the reels or turned up in the cards, it produces particular winning combinations and payouts based on the pay table of the slot machine or video poker machine. With that in mind, many slot machine manufacturers have attempted to increase the excitement generated by game play by adding peripheral devices such as sound generators or video screens which promote increased game play by presenting entertaining accompaniments to the game play of the slot machine or video poker machine. The trend has continued in that many of the currently produced slot machines and video gaming devices include various bonus generators which are shown on the primary or accompanying video screens or other informational devices as an entertaining way for a slot machine player to receive a bonus. Of course, due to the limitations of the slot machines, a bonus is generally paid in additional credits or coin which, while admittedly generating additional interest in the game, can only go so far to increase the enjoyment and hence encourage repeated game play of the device. There is therefore a need for a bonusing system which produces a bonus which is randomly generated and includes a bonusing factor beyond mere credits.
One of the most popular forms of gambling currently available are the random drawing lotteries offered by many states, such as Powerball, Pick 5, The Big Game and other such random lottery drawings. Obviously, due to the nature of these drawings, it is much more difficult to win the significant amounts of money than the smaller jackpots available by playing slot machines or the like, but it is the appeal of these enormous amounts of money that lure people to participate in the various lotteries. Currently, there is little, if any, connection between slot machine play and random drawing or scratch ticket lottery play, although the two forms of gambling are often participated in by the same gambler. It is entirely possible that the synergy produced by being able to simultaneously participate in these two generally disassociated forms of gambling will increase the amount of game play of both forms of gambling. It is clear that when casinos enter a market, the amount of money spent on lotteries decreases. It is believed that creating a closer connection between casino operations and lottery games will increase the exposure for the lottery games, introducing them to a new group of consumers, thereby increasing revenues. Therefore, there is a need for a gambling connection between slot machines and lotteries which will permit a gambler to participate in the two forms of gambling generally simultaneously.
Some of the most popular forms of slot machines currently available on the market are found in Quartermania, Cool Millions and Megabucks, amongst other wide-area progressive links, which offer the opportunity for the player to win upwards of one million dollars on a single spin of the slot machine. Of course, though the chances of winning the top jackpot are very small, a player will play the game for that chance and also for the enjoyment of winning smaller prizes during game play. It is believed that the game play will be further enhanced by the addition of additional chances for the winning of even more significant amounts of money, such as through a Powerball jackpot or the like. There is therefore a need for an interface between a slot machine and a lottery system to permit the dispensing of lottery entries in response to particular reel combinations or particular events occurring on the slot machine board environment, or in response to actions or activities related to associated and peripheral equipment, thereby enhancing game play.
Therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a lottery system/electronic gaming device interface and gambling game.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lottery system/electronic gaming device interface and gambling game which will permit the dispensing of an entry into a lottery drawing in response to a particular event or series of events occurring in the slot machine board environment or in and around the slot machine.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lottery system/electronic gaming device interface and gambling game which will enhance game play and encourage additional game play for the gaming device player.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lottery system/electronic gaming device interface and gambling game which is usable with many different types of gaming equipment, including but not limited to VLTs, linked VLT systems, slot machines with physical reels, video slot machines, central draw finite systems, bingo and keno machines and systems, table games and video poker devices.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lottery system/electronic gaming device interface and gambling game which is usable with virtually any operable networking system, including but not limited to LAN, WAN, Internet, G3 cellular systems, radio-frequency (RF), line-of-sight, fiber-optic, wireless and networks using various protocols including TCP/IP.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lottery system/electronic gaming device interface and gambling game which will receive event occurrence signals from the electronic gaming device, translate those event occurrence signals into discernable commands for a lottery system and command the lottery system to output a particular type of lottery entry in response to the occurrence of a particular event or series of events in or around the slot machine.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lottery system/electronic gaming device interface and gambling game which is efficient in design and use and will encourage increased patronage of the electronic device and therefore of the lottery itself.